"Is there even a question...? This was probably not done by Qinghong's men, it was Ye Huan himself!" Yang squinted and smiled, "He's openly warning Qinghong's men... If you come, we'll fight to the death! I'm finished. I won't leave you anything! We'll go our separate ways! You won't even get a hair on your head!"
That evening, that old fox, Qiao, invited me to dinner, but specifically asked me to come with Yang Wei. I immediately realized that this old fox probably wanted to talk to me about something. He now knew that Yang Wei was acting as my strategist, and that I consulted her on many important decisions. Since he wanted me to bring Yang Wei, it must be something serious to discuss, not just a private dinner.
"This old fox's dinner isn't going to be pleasant." I tapped my forehead, smiled wryly, then put down the phone and looked at Yang Wei: "Guess what he'll talk to me about?"
"I don't know, but it's most likely related to the Qinghong." Yang smiled slyly. "No matter what he says, we shouldn't agree to it to his face. Nor should we refuse him directly. Let's play it safe and remain calm as things unfold." Then she frowned. "Old Mr. Qiao has already schemed against you once. You'd better be careful."
I gave a wry smile and said nothing.
When Yang Wei said "scheming," she was actually referring to the deal that Qiaoqiao's father sold the club to me.
On the surface, it seems like I made a profit from this deal. I gained such an important territory and was able to use the opportunity to build my network, penetrate the upper echelons of Chinese society, and get to know many wealthy and influential figures... At first, I also felt that this deal was very beneficial to me.
But later, Yang Wei helped me analyze it, and I realized that even though I was very careful, I was still outsmarted by this old fox... Hehe!
Fair business means that both sides gain and lose equally.
So, what did I gain and what did I lose in this deal?
It's a very simple calculation: I lost hundreds of millions of RMB in cash, but gained a private club, which allowed me to build my network of contacts, as well as a complete list of wealthy individuals and their information!
It seems fair?
Wrong, wrong!
So, what were the old fox's gains and losses?
He received hundreds of millions of RMB in cash! Don't underestimate this sum; while it may seem insignificant compared to the total assets of many wealthy individuals, please note that it's cash! In reality, many wealthy people boast assets in the billions, but those are actually a combination of assets: real estate, fixed assets, stock market value, and so on. In reality, a large company or conglomerate with assets of hundreds of millions typically only has tens of millions of RMB in liquid funds on hand. They only seek to raise large sums of liquid funds when there's a major business opportunity.
Therefore, in the business world, there's a principle: to measure a company's strength, don't look at its total assets on paper, but rather at its working capital!
The old fox gained real cash, the most valuable liquid capital! So, what did he lose?
Lost this club? Don't be ridiculous. He only spent 300 million yuan to establish it back then, and now he's selling it to me for more than double that, which is already a profit. Besides, he's been making a profit every year running this club these past few years!
He lost his connections? He had already built them up long ago. Even if he was no longer the owner of this club, those wealthy people were still his good friends! He was still a member of that circle long ago!
As for the complete set of intelligence data... surely the old fox didn't keep a copy for himself? Unless he's an idiot!!
"In other words, this club is now meaningless to Mr. Qiao. He has already achieved his goal of using it. It's just a tool he's used. It's a dispensable burden to him. And he used this burden to acquire a huge amount of working capital—more important than life itself for any businessman… Is there a more cunning deal than this?" After analyzing this for me, Yang Wei sighed, "Unfortunately, our relationship was a bit strained back then, and I didn't know about your deal with him. Otherwise, I could have given you some advice." "Well... if I'd known, you could have deliberately put on airs back then. I bet Mr. Qiao was actually itching to use this useless thing to get cash. But hundreds of millions in cash—it's real cash! How many wealthy people in all of China can pull that out so easily? Only you, this nouveau riche who just made a fortune overseas. Sigh... actually, given the market at the time, you were the only buyer. If you'd put on airs, maybe the old fox wouldn't have been able to resist and would have lowered the price himself... Hmph, I think if it were me, I could have gotten this place for a maximum of 200 million, and even then, it would have been on installments!"
After what he said, I was speechless.
The old fox didn't exactly "scam" me, but he did manage to "outsmart" me in a small way. I did get something beneficial, but he gained far more and lost almost nothing!
so……
"Old ginger is spicier!" Yang Wei concluded.
My conclusion differed quite from Yang Wei's, and of course, I could only vent this to myself.
Hmph, you old fox, you're making money so desperately, do you think you can take it to your grave? In the future, it'll all benefit my son!
Part Three: The Pinnacle, Chapter 132: The Thoughts of the Rich
The place where the old fox treated us to dinner wasn't in the city center, but... a very special place.
After the car stopped, I looked at the building in front of me in surprise: "Tu, are you sure the address is correct?"
"Please trust your expertise, boss," Tu said calmly. "I've looked at the map. Every road in Shanghai that's on the map is in my head."
XX Culinary Training School!
Hmm, this name sounds more like a chef training course.
As we entered one of the buildings, someone immediately greeted us warmly and led us into a large classroom... Yes, that's right, it was clearly a classroom! And it seemed that my guess from outside was correct; it was obviously a classroom for training chefs.
However, there is clearly a sign hanging here: XX Buffet Restaurant Club.
In this enormous room, there were dozens of stoves and pots! Everything you could find in the kitchen was there, and all of it was top-of-the-line equipment. I would even guarantee that the kitchen of a five-star hotel probably wouldn't have as many items as this.
The brightly lit room was already full of people. Thanks to dozens of high-end European-style range hoods, there was not a trace of cooking smoke in the classroom. Instead, it was filled with the aroma of various foods, the clinking of spatulas against the bottom of pans, and the clanging of pots and pans.
What surprised me slightly was that many of the people who were standing in front of the stove, sleeves rolled up and ladling large spoons, were impeccably dressed. Their shirts, suits, or women's dresses were all obviously expensive designer brands. These people, who usually drive luxury cars and live in big houses, were now all wearing aprons and playing the role of chefs.
"Hey! Over here!" came the old fox's shout from the side. We looked in the direction of the sound and saw the old fox less than twenty steps away from us. He had his sleeves rolled up, was holding a kitchen knife and cutting a roll of cabbage, and had a smile on his face.
"My God, old man, what are you up to? Is this the place you invited us to have dinner?" I walked over, looked at him strangely, and then looked around.
"Don't be surprised, this is enjoyment. Enjoyment, understand? Kid." Old Fox Qiao, a cigarette dangling from his lips and beads of sweat on his forehead, casually put down his cleaver and said, "Don't you think this place is interesting?"
As he spoke, he handed me the cleaver: "Help me chop for a bit, hey, I'm going to have a smoke."
I took the cleaver, glanced at Yang Wei, and saw that she seemed to be smiling, clearly understanding what was going on.
"What are you looking at? Hurry up and cut it; you're cutting our dinner now." The old fox stood aside. I was still a little confused, but I rolled up my sleeves and started cutting.
"Chen Yang, you have to understand, actually, a significant portion of wealthy people are quite bored. And when people are extremely bored, they inevitably like to find something strange to do." The old fox leisurely took a puff of his cigarette and chuckled, "Look around..."
"I'm watching, and I'm very curious." I diligently chopped the cabbage. I must say, my movements were much more nimble than the old fox's; I wonder if it's because I used to chop people up with a knife so many times.
"Actually, the biggest regret for many wealthy people is that after achieving success, they lose some of the joys of being ordinary people," the old fox murmured. "In foreign countries, those wealthy people, those nobles, all have their own traditions and lifestyles. But China is different… China has no nobles, and there are no so-called aristocratic families. During the ten-year catastrophe of the last century, there were almost no wealthy people in China. Now, many of the wealthy people in China have become rich after the reform and opening up, and the vast majority of them have built their fortunes from scratch. Our wealthy people don't yet have the so-called aristocratic traditions, they don't have that European…" This restaurant offers these wealthy people, who were once ordinary citizens, a chance to occasionally indulge in a simpler, more ordinary life after achieving wealth, power, and money. What do ordinary people do every day? Cook for themselves! Have you ever seen a billionaire cook at home? Which billionaire's wife cooks at home? Very few! Therefore, this restaurant provides these wealthy people with a chance to recapture a bit of the simple pleasures they experienced before they became rich. At this restaurant, customers must cook their own meals, understand?
I'm starting to understand: "It's a brilliant idea, but..." I'm still a little confused: "If they want to cook, they can do it at home, right? I don't believe these rich people don't even have a kitchen at home?"
"Hahahaha..." The old fox laughed exaggeratedly. Then he looked at the busy people around him, lowered his voice, and chuckled softly, "That's the ridiculous thing about rich people... On the one hand, they're occasionally bored and want to find ways to fill the void. You have to understand, they do these things just because they're bored. They simply enjoy the pleasure of cooking... but they don't want to do those troublesome, tedious things. For example, if you want to cook at home, you have to go to the supermarket to buy all kinds of vegetables and ingredients, buy oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, etc., and you also have to think about what to cook and how to cook it. There's also washing dishes, wiping the table, cleaning the kitchen afterwards... and so on. If all of this is done at home, it's incredibly tedious. But these people, on the one hand, miss..." That kind of enjoyment comes at the cost of not having much time or wanting to spend too much time and energy on the tedious preparation work. So, how wonderful is this place? It provides everything you need, even the ingredients for whatever dish you want to cook—they have a more complete selection than restaurants! There are even professional recipes and chefs to guide you. Although it costs a little more, it saves them time and allows them to fully enjoy the experience. These wealthy people don't lack money, but time is more precious to them than money. And… there's also the psychological aspect: if they cook at home and it turns out badly, they have to go out to eat; if they mess it up here, they can still enjoy delicious food.”
"I understand. In other words, the guests here pay to eat, but they have to cook for themselves." I laughed and said, "Great idea. The prices here must be quite high."
"Hmm, slightly cheaper than the Peace Hotel (one of the most expensive hotels in Shanghai)." The old fox winked.
Yang Wei suddenly smiled and said, "Mr. Qiao, this place must also belong to you, right?"
“That’s right.” Old fox Qiao threw away the half-eaten cigarette butt. “Alright, is your cabbage chopped? Now, who will help me beat the egg whites?” As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Yang Wei.
Yang Wei smiled gently and readily rolled up her sleeves.
Soon, I discovered that this place had also become a social gathering place for the wealthy.
The customers at the nearby stoves, after preparing their meals, would occasionally come over and politely invite us to sample their creations. Although the taste varied, I must say... this kind of experience is far more satisfying than paying someone to eat at a fancy restaurant.
Think about it, what's the difference in how you feel when a multi-millionaire pays to treat you to a meal, or when he cooks a meal for you himself?
A very clever idea!
When you eat food prepared by someone else, they feel their hard work is being shared, and they're happy too. All of this combined creates an exceptionally pleasant atmosphere. I can see it. Every guest around me is happy.
I sighed... That old guy is really clever!
“Since you’re here, you all have to show off your skills. Do you think young people are just waiting for old people to cook for you?” Old fox Qiao chuckled.
So, Yang Wei and I both cooked. I made the simplest dish; I'm not much of a cook to begin with, so I just made a simple fried egg, sprinkled some chopped green onions on top, and that was it. Yang Wei, to my surprise, actually made two dishes, one meat and one vegetable: shredded pork with garlic sauce and stir-fried broccoli. They were quite professional, and the taste was also quite good.
I took two bites and couldn't help but look at her in surprise.
"I learned it." Yang Wei smiled.
Of course I understood what she meant, and I couldn't help but feel touched: "You...you really don't have to do this."
Yang Wei blinked: "It can't be that only Yan Di knows how to cook, can it?"
What surprised me most was Old Fox Joe! He actually prepared three dishes and a soup! And the taste was quite remarkable! It was just as good as many restaurants I've eaten at! I never knew this old guy had such a skill!
There was a dining table next to each stove. After everything was ready, everyone sat down and enjoyed their creations. Occasionally, other guests would come over and offer us their dishes. This feeling gave me a sense of being in a public canteen from the old days.
I gently clinked my glass, and the old fox and I shared a glass of baijiu. Then I laughed and said, "I never imagined you were such a good cook, old man... but Qiao Qiao..."
"Ha! What she makes is only good for rat poison." The old fox didn't shy away from his daughter's weakness. After laughing for a while, he composed himself and said, "Alright, let's get down to business... Have you read the newspapers these past two days?"
"I check it every day." I sighed. "Things haven't been peaceful lately."
"You know what? I was planning to play bridge tonight. But during the day, two groups of people came to me, asking me to act as their mediator and persuade you, so I had no choice but to personally intervene tonight... Sigh, you know which two groups they were, right?"
Yang Wei and I exchanged a glance, then whispered, "Is it the 'Heaven' and 'Earth' characters of the Qinghong?"
"That's right. The leader of the Heavenly Division called me, and Ouyang from the Earthly Division has already arrived in Shanghai. The Qinghong faction has been quite agitated these past few days. Ye Huan pulled off two successful maneuvers, catching Ouyang and his group off guard. They didn't expect Ye Huan to be so decisive... Well, it's a do-or-die situation for him, a risky move. As the saying goes, those with nothing to lose are fearless. In this situation, the Qinghong faction is also hesitant to act rashly."
I said nonchalantly, "You've been brought in to act as my mediator? Hmph, what can I possibly do?"
"Don't play dumb. There's no need for you to play dumb when you're talking to me." The old fox snorted. "Of course I know what the two gangs of Qinghong are up to. Both want to swallow Ye Huan's territory. But they're both wary of each other, so neither dared to make a big move, which is why they've waited so long. They finally couldn't hold back anymore and made their move, but it was the old man of the Ren gang who ran out of patience and struck first. As a result, the fire at the nightclub in Wuxi happened. Hmph, Ye Huan is ruthless enough. A business worth tens of millions was burned down in one fire. My information is that the Ren gang lost more than a dozen people that day, didn't even get a penny, and more than a dozen people died. Ye Huan's side also seems to have suffered losses, but the Ren gang lost a top-notch Red Stick thug. I guess it was Jin He, one of Ye Huan's men, who did it. But there were no bodies at the scene of the fire, so it seems that after the fight, both sides cleaned up the scene before setting the fire. That means Ye Huan won. Otherwise, if the Ren gang had won, they wouldn't have set the fire!"
"What about the two cases in Suzhou? The police have completely dismantled the drug trade in Suzhou. And that yacht club..." I said calmly.
"Don't even mention Suzhou... The Qinghong gang is furious about what happened in Suzhou. Just a few of them are arguing and it's caused a huge uproar... Do you know what? What happened in Suzhou has absolutely nothing to do with Qinghong. No one from Qinghong has even set foot in Suzhou! It was Ye Huan who reported them to the police! And ruined the business!"
"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.
“That’s right,” Old Fox Qiao chuckled. “He’s cunning enough to throw a few scapegoats at the police, but before that, he’d siphoned off all the money from his businesses! Take that yacht club, for example. It’s been shut down now, right? The Qinghong people contacted the authorities and checked… Guess what? A club with sixty yachts and hundreds of registered VIP members with status had only sixteen dollars and fifty cents left in its accounts! Ye Huan had siphoned off all the money beforehand!”
I was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Great tactic! Great tactic!!"
After thinking for a moment, I whispered again, "Ye Huan ran off with all the money, leaving Qing Hong with a dilapidated and empty mess. At the same time, it also served as a threat: If you keep pushing me, I'll destroy everything! Nobody will get anything, right?"
The old fox nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly what I mean. Qing Hong was so desperate that he even came up with the idea of a decapitation strike. He wanted to send someone to Nanjing to kill Ye Huan first, but he ended up losing several good men for nothing."
"So what?" I sneered.
"So...they want you to take action." The old fox sighed. "Qinghong is hesitant to act, because if they make a move, Ye Huan will lose everything, including all his businesses! So Qinghong can't do anything. Even if the old guy in the Ren branch dares to make a move, the other two branches won't allow it. The only one who can act is you, Chen Yang. You're not with Qinghong, and you have a grudge against Ye Huan. If you act now, Ye Huan's threats against Qinghong won't work on you. Go all out..."
"That's not necessarily true." I shook my head: "What if Ye Huan ends up with no other options and simply abandons all his businesses... then it'll be the same!"
"It's different... there's a huge difference!" The old fox laughed. "You should know Ye Huan's character best. He won't resort to his last resort unless absolutely necessary. Do you think he'd be willing to die together with someone else? That's something he uses against Qing Hong! If you make a move, he might not dare to use that trick against you. Besides, it's a last resort. After all, you're not one of Qing Hong's people. Would you care if Ye Huan used a tactic that would ruin his business against you?"
"Of course not. What does it matter to me whether Qinghong's business fails or not?" I said, pursing my lips.
"That's it. Even you think so, don't you understand, Ye Huan? So, you have a chance. Since you have a chance, why not invite you to give it a try? That's probably Qing Hong's idea."
I sneered, "I'm afraid it's more than that."
The old fox chuckled: "Of course, there are other reasons... Most importantly, we all suspect... that Ye Huan might have a backup plan! If you can force him to reveal it, that's exactly what Qing Hong wants. Knowing Ye Huan's trump card sooner means being better prepared. My personal guess is that Ye Huan is probably planning to abscond with the money abroad. That's the only path I can think of... But I'm not Ye Huan, so I can't guess what other tricks he has up his sleeve. However, the entire Jiangsu province, with so many businesses, is no small sum! Qing Hong doesn't dare risk so much money! Asking you for help is a last resort. Now, you might as well set some conditions. The current situation is, you can ask for the moon, demand an exorbitant price, and then wait for Qing Hong's men to come down and negotiate."
I glanced at Yang Wei, and she knew I was signaling for her to speak.
“Mr. Qiao, in my opinion, there’s not much difference between Chen Yang’s actions and Qing Hong’s actions… If Ye Huan is determined to succeed, then even if Xiao Wu can defeat Ye Huan, Ye Huan might still ruin his business and go all the way! You understand, that possibility is very high!”
Yang squinted and thought for a moment, then laughed and said, "Mr. Qiao, are you trying to put Chen Yang on the hot stove to roast him?"
"How so?"
"Is that even a question?" Yang smiled slightly. "While asking Chen Yang to intervene was certainly out of concern for Ye Huan's threat of mutual destruction, the bigger reason is probably the internal strife within the Green Gang over the distribution of spoils! The key issue is who gets the territory they've conquered! The Human faction is powerless to hold onto it, so both the Heaven and Earth factions want a piece of the pie. But neither wants to break ties with the other, so they might as well let Chen Yang have it first. And then..." Yang narrowed her eyes, her expression turning serious. "It seems like Chen Yang got a great deal, but actually he's gotten a huge problem!" After Chen Yang takes over Ye Huan's territory, the Heaven and Earth factions can stand aside without much trouble... but what about the Human faction? The Human faction and Chen Yang have a deep-seated grudge! The Human faction will definitely be the first to jump out and fight Chen Yang! Whether it's for revenge or to reclaim the territory from Chen Yang... Hmph, this way, they can also use Chen Yang to deal with the Human faction! Anyway, both the Heaven and Earth factions plan to devour the Human faction after this matter is over! Am I right? In short, this matter... this piece of fat meat is not easy to eat!
The old fox spread his hands: "Hey! Miss Yang, you don't need to get so worked up about me. I'm just a messenger, a messenger. You can figure out the stakes yourselves. I'm just responsible for delivering the message. You can go back and discuss it when you decide whether to do it or not."
"To do it or not?"